Ginza : Inexpensive eel box at Hyotan-ya (ひょうたん屋)

Kansai-style eel box at the center of Ginza

I want to eat much eels this year 🙂
So, I need to find eels restaurants that serve eels at inexpensive price !
I know Hyotan-ya is located within Ginza area and it is easy to go to there because it is within walking distance from my office.

今年はうなぎをいっぱい食べよう、と思っています。というわけで安めのウナギ屋さんを求めてこの日はひょうたん屋へ。

Hyotan-ya is long-established eels restaurant and about 70 years have passed since they started their business in 1946 in Ginza.
They serve eels box at inexpensive costs and they prepare only eels box during lunchtime.
Regular(並)2100 yen, Great-choice(中) 2500 yen, Deluxe(上)3100 yen, Supreme (特上) 3700 yen.
The difference in price is due to the difference in quantity, as is often the case with eels restaurants. Not quality.

鰻重が2100円からあります。結構お手頃ですね。特上は3700円ですが。

I wasn’t starved, so I ordered my eel box Chu (鰻重　中) 2500 yen.
As soon as I ordered my eel box, tea and pickled vegetables were served.

おしんことお茶。「上」は更にこれにきゅうりがいましたよ。

My friend ordered a Supreme size and his pickled vegetables had cucumber, too.

Clear soup. It didn’t have eel’s liver in it. Quite clear and light soup 🙂

お吸い物。肝吸いではないんですね。かなりあっさりしたスープです。

There’re two ways of cooking eels. Kansai style and Kanto style.

*Kanto-style
1.cut from eels’ back
2.steam
3.grill

*Kansai-style
1.cut from eels’stomach
2.grill

Here’s Kanto region, so, most of restaurants take Kanto-style.
But this Hyotan-ya take Kansai-style.

So, the surface was crisp and the meat is soft like bed 🙂
That’s “Great-choice” eel box. I put much Japanese pepper on it 😀

山椒たっぷりかけて。このお店は蒸さない関西風だそうで、外はカリッとしてでも身はフワフワ(*´д｀*)

The sauce was not sweet and suited my taste !

By the way, July 29th of this year is The dog days day of the Ox. It is the day of eating eels in order to prevent exhaustion from the summer heat 🙂
Every eels restaurants will have much guests waiting in front of their restaurants.
Eh? Me? Umm. I want to avoid waiting so long…. I’ll eat eel except the day 😛

If you can afford to pay more money for eel, I recommend Chikuyotei 🙂
http://www.ryoko-traveler.com/chikuyotei-honten1/

About Hyotan-ya Ginza 1chome branch (ひょうたん屋 銀座一丁目店)

Address / Eiraku Bldg 1F, 1-13-9 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Station / Ginza-Icchome station (Tokyo metro)
Open / 11:00 – 14:00, 17:30 – 20:00
Saturdays / 11:00 – 13:30, 17:30 – 20:00
Closed / Sundays, another national holidays, the 2nd and 4th Saturday